and keep to the paths of the just.
For the upright will abide in the land,
and the innocent will remain in it;
but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it. NRSV
There are two ways to walk and only two ways: the way of the good or the way of the wicked. Our Lord Jesus talks about this in Matthew:
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NRSV).
Just using these two passages (and there are others), we can see that the Lord has given us signposts or characteristics of the way we should walk:
• the way of the good
• the path of the just
• there are few who find it
I think that one of the things that has weakened us as Christians (certainly in America, if not in other places) has been our willingness to try to create a moral neutrality. In other words, we have decided that there are choices, behaviors, decisions that are neither good or bad. They are morally neutral. And if we choose these things, we aren’t sinning. The thing is, the Bible doesn’t ever talk about moral neutrality. In scripture, we either are good or we are wicked. We either enter through the narrow gate or walk the wide road. We either obey God or we rebel against Him. There is no middle ground.
I think that one of the reasons (and this is only one) that we can tried to create this “new” way of living (because it was not always so in the Christian Church) is because we want to reject the ideologies and traditions of our elders. Now, I’m not saying that everything our parents (and grandparents) did was right; they made plenty of mistakes. But the fact is, the Holy Spirit did raise up those who went before us who we can use as examples for our lives:
“ . . . that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:9 NRSV).
Paul talks about this over and over again. “Imitate me,” he says (1 Co. 4:16, 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thes. 1:6; 2 Thes. 3:7, 9).
Matthew Henry agrees: “We must not only choose our way in general by the good examples of the saints, but must also take directions from them in the choice of our particular paths; observe the track, and go forth by the footsteps of the flock” (Henry, M. 1996, c1991. Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume (Pr 2:10). Hendrickson: Peabody).
In other words, for those of us (like me) who have more difficulty learning something unless we see it in a practical way, God has provided examples through saints who went on before. I need only look for those examples and imitate them.
And there is an amazing promise contained in this scripture. “For the upright will abide in the land, and the innocent will remain in it” (v. 21). While the original writer likely meant the Promised Land, for all believers, the Promised Land is heaven. Hebrews 11 tells us:
“Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect” (v. 39-40 NRSV). Our Hope is our inheritance in Heaven, kept for us by the Lord Jesus (1 Peter 1:4). A place where everything is perfect and where we will live in perfect harmony with the Father and with each other. It is a prize worth reaching for.
Ultimately, we are called to imitate Christ, to become more and more like Him through the power of the Holy Spirit and through our willingness to submit our wills to Him. For me, it comes down a very practical application: Am I willing to change my “I want’s” to “I should’s”? It’s easy in our society to become entrenched with “I want this” or “I want that.” We have so much, are so blessed in earthly resources that actually very little is withheld from us. And yet, we often struggle with our walk with the Lord. Likely because we aren’t forced to trust Him for the basic needs of life.
At present, America is feeling a financial crunch dealing with the depressed housing market and the rising gasoline prices. All of us are having to adjust our lifestyles to accommodate these problems. And yet, most of us still eat well and live well. We have more blessings than we can even begin to number! There is going to be a tendency, during this time, to become less generous and more fearful. As Christians, we have the opportunity to trust the Lord, even when times get tough. For me, that is one part of the narrow way. I am excited about what the Lord is going to teach me about trusting Him!
© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).
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